Healthy Start Act

If passed, this bill will update the part of the Code of Georgia about elementary, middle, and high school, to set up school lunch and breakfast options for public school students.  

• Code of Georgia: These are the rules or laws for the state of Georgia that say what people in Georgia can and cannot do.

This bill:

• Makes sure meals are free for students who can get school meals for less money according to national and state rules.

• Starts school breakfast programs as part of a law called the Quality Basic Education Act.  

If passed, this bill will give state money to these programs while also making local schools make the most of money from the national government to save state money where possible.  

This bill:

• Makes schools take part in the USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) when they can.

  • Community Eligibility Provision (CEP): A program that allows schools to give free meals to all students if enough families in the school qualify for help.

This bill: 

• Promotes using food items that were grown in Georgia in school meals    

• Makes some changes to the part of the Code of Georgia that deals with school lunch and nutrition services

  • Nutrition services: Programs that make sure students get healthy meals at school.

If this bill passes, the State Board of Education, a group that make rules and decisions about schools in Georgia, will have certain jobs they have to do, including:  

• Deciding how much state money is needed for school lunches across the whole state each year  

• Making sure all public school students can get good, healthy meals, which also means making sure that meals are free for students in need

• Confirming and choosing  school nutrition supervisors and managers, people who run school meal programs and make sure food is prepared and served the right way

• Setting up trainings for school food and nutrition staff  

If this bill passes, the State Board of Education will be able to pay for certain things, including: 

• The costs of running school cafeterias, including breakfast for students  

• Salary supplements for school nutrition staff from state money. This makes sure these staff members are getting paid enough.

• Extra pay for staff that finishes training programs.  

This bill also limits how money can be used for school breakfasts and lunches, including:  

• Local five-mill share money can’t be used for school lunch or breakfast programs.

  • Five-mill share money: A part of local school money that comes from taxes people pay on the property they own.

• State money is there to add to federal funds in order to keep meal prices low and increase how many students take part.  

Local schools are encouraged to serve breakfast for students  

Schools have to have breakfast available if at least 40% of their students need it. 

• These schools have to take part in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and they should team up when possible to boost who can take part in CEP.

The state will give money back to schools for their school breakfast programs at the national amount for each meal  

If national money runs out, the state will still give the schools money back for what the school has already paid for at the most recent national amount.      

The State Board of Education has to set certain rules, including:  

• Make sure school meals are healthy and meet or exceed national food rules.

• Follow national income rules to decide which students get free or lower-cost meals.

• Keep the process of signing up for free or lower-cost meals private and easy for families.

• Make sure schools tell parents regularly about the meal programs.

• Ask schools to show they are following the meal program rules.

• Accept national meal program rules as good enough for Georgia schools.

• Help schools get extra money to start meal programs.

• Support schools in buying food from Georgia farms, like fruits, vegetables, milk, and chicken

The bill allows the following:

• Schools to teach nutrition, hygiene, manners, and social skills as part of their programs  

• State money to be used for costs related to these programs  

• Cafeterias, school nutrition staff, and meal prep demonstrations  to be part of the trainings  

  • Demonstrations: showing people how to do things 

If this bill is passed, the state puts money into school nutrition staff services every 10 months

Payments for school breakfast and lunch programs made in 12 parts once a month for a year 

Money given is based on:  

• The amounts of full-time school nutrition jobs  

• An annual minimum payment for each job  

  • The minimum payment is based on 1,520 hours per school year at at least $161 each month for 12 months  

  • Future raises will match the raises for other jobs paid for by the state  

Local schools decide their staffing and payment schedules, using base payments for money  

If this bill becomes law, it gets rid of any other laws that could stop this one from working.